U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,567, hereby incorporated by reference, covers a process for the preparation of gabapentin (1-aminomethyl-1-cyclohexane-acetic acid) 
which medicament is useful, for example, in the treatment of epilepsy. The process is illustrated by the scheme: 
The instant invention provides a stereoselective synthesis for the ring-substituted analogs of gabapentin and to gabapentin itself. The advantages of the instant syntheses are: control of stereochemistry and no resolution is required at the end of the synthesis.
The invention encompasses a novel synthetic route for the preparation of substituted gabapentin analogues. The route enables the synthesis of certain single stereoisomers of individual alkylated gabapentin derivatives with a high degree of stereochemical purity.
The invention is outlined in the general route shown below. The first step involves conversion of a substituted cyclohexanone to an (xcex1,xcex2-unsaturated ester via use of a trialkylphosphonoacetate or an (alkoxycarbonylmethyl)triphenyl-phosphonium halide and a base, such as sodium hydride, potassium hydride, lithium- or sodium- or potassium-hexamethyldisilazide, butyllithium or potassium t-butoxide in a solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, diethylether, or dimethylsulfoxide at a suitable temperature in the range from xe2x88x9278xc2x0 C. to 100xc2x0 C.
The second step involves reaction of the xcex1,xcex2-unsaturated ester with nitromethane and a suitable base such as tetrabutylammonium fluoride, tetra-methylguanidine, 1,5-diazabicyclo[4,3,0]non-5-ene, 1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec-7-ene, a sodium or potassium alkoxide, sodium hydride or potassium fluoride in a solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, diethylether, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulphoxide, benzene, toluene, dichloromethane, chloroform, or tetrachloromethane at a suitable temperature in the range from xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. to 100xc2x0 C.
The third step involves catalytic hydrogenation of the nitro moiety using a catalyst such as Raney nickel, palladium on charcoal or rhodium catalyst or other nickel or palladium containing catalyst in a solvent such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, 1,4-dioxane, chloroform or diethyl ether at a suitable temperature in the range from 20xc2x0 C. to 80xc2x0 C.
The final step involves a hydrolysis using hydrochloric acid and may also utilize a cosolvent such tetrahydrofuran or 1,4-dioxane or other such inert water miscible solvent at a suitable temperature in the range from 20xc2x0 C. to reflux. 